Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Melissa Allen comes from a long line of University of Missouri graduates, but when she came to visit the University of Kansas, she fell in love with Potter Lake. Allen decided to leave a tradition of Tigers to become a Jayhawk. Now, years later, Allen is using her love for Potter Lake to help transform it from one of the dirtiest lakes in Kansas to the natural landmark it once was.
Potter Lake 100th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday April 30
2-5 p.m.
Potter Lake, Dance Pavillion
Live music and food will be provided. Chancellor Gray-Little will begin with remarks at 3 p.m.
In May 2009, Allen, along with a few other dedicated students, presented a proposal to the Provost assessing the problems of the lake,- ranging from aesthetic to environmental Allen said.
“We presented that and our solutions,” Allen said, “and they basically said ‘Go ahead with it, but we have no money.’”
Potter Lake turns 100 on April 30. From 2 to 5 p.m., the Centennial celebration will take place to celebrate.
Allen and the rest of the members of the Potter Lake Project spent the next few years finding ways to improve the lake with less funding than they had hoped, as well as finding a few donors including the company Design and Company Management, which helped with many facets of the project.
To commemorate both the 100th birthday of Potter Lake and the work so many put into the restoration, the Potter Lake Project will be hosting a birthday party picnic on Saturday.
“We got all of this stuff done that we didn’t think would happen so we really wanted a time to recognize the people who helped out with it,” Allen said. “The lake is much more ecologically sound, we just want to bring people back there and recognize it as a green space on campus.”
Allen encourages students and faculty to come see the beauty Potter Lake was originally meant to be, and to bring a lawn chair, Frisbees or footballs.
While Allen said that there is still a lot of improvement to be done, dredging the lake and installing aerators has helped tremendously.
Potter Lake was once home to athletic events, including swimming, diving and fishing. However, since the pollution became such a problem, those activities no longer take place. The lake once was 16 feet deep but now averages less than 3 feet deep.
“There is so much concrete on Jayhalk Blvd, there is obviously great landscaping but I feel like Potter Lake, especially with the Campanile and the walk to the stadium, is just a really nice space to be in,” Allen said.
— Edited by Danielle Packer
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Comments
Potter Lake shows cleanliness on 100th
Potter Lake really is beautiful again. I recently sat under the willow tree to study and I love walking by Potter Lake to get to JRP. I'm really glad there were students who knew what to do to complete this project!! Maybe before I graduate in 2013 it can be restored so that we can swim again?
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